… and that would be Kim Yu-Na. Fresh off her near flawless win at Four Continents the sponsors are reportedly lining up.
Per one sponsor:
“Kim Yu-na sells,” says Yoon Il-sang, a consultant at HD, a local marketing agency. “She is totally in the upper realm now, with top celebrities like Lee Hyo-ri and Kim Tae-hee, but what’s even better is that she has a fresher appeal.”
Fresher appeal? That would be code for essentially saying that Hyo-ri and Tae Hee are getting old.
With an estimated $8-10 million in endorsements, me thinks we should expect an LPGA-like assembly-line factory of Korean female skaters as soon as parents start to smell the money. Ka-ching!
{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
I was also talking to my wife while watching Yuna Kim at the Four Continents figure skating championships last Friday that there will be flood of Korean female figure skaters over the next few years. How long do Korean female golfers take to dominate LPGA after Seri Park’s trophy? These parents are like gold digger regardless of the talent level of their kids. They believe their investments will have guaranteed returns. If their kids couldn’t become a rich and famous,”the investment” could been served them as a ticket to the good University at least. SO why not?
And for sure, Lee Hyo-ri is getting old. Can’t stop. Haven’t you see her winkle eye which could hardly be covered by cosmetics.
The Friday before last both The Globe and Mail and The Vancouver Sun had articles about Ms. Kim – certainly the pics of her were stunning.
The main points of both articles was her Canadian connection, a great skater in his own right, Brian Orser.
Here’s the article from the Sun:
www2.canada.com/vancouversun/features/2010/story.html?id=b0eae1e4-d282-4f7f-9068-79d37c74def5
#1,
What is a winkle eye?
Let’s try this.
I tried to post a actual link to the Vancouver Sun story with an <the <A HREF tags but it didn’t appear at all in the above comment. The Marmot’s Interwebus Death Ray at work, one supposes, or I’m not posting it correctly – probably the latter, as I’ve seen other comments with actual links (versus the c/p avenue) in them.
I agree that Yu-na’s greatest assest is her Canadian coach. Wonder how far she would have gone if she had not gone to Canada to train? One news article I read waxed on about how she did one of her interviews in English, and how she didn’t appear at all nervous about speaking in English. Ah, duh…..
That said, I have been following her performances, and she really IS a talented young lady. I really enjoy watching her. She deservers those sponsorship contracts. She’s earned them.
From the Donga article:
“In Vancouver Friday, Kim fell while attempting triple Lutz in the free skating competition, but stood up immediately and continued her performance. Her quick recovery was seen as a symbol of hope for Korea, which is struggling with an economic crisis.”
Do Koreans really think this way? This borders on being outright retarded.
#2. Cactus,
Sorry. I meant Eye wrinkles or “Wrinkles around the eyes”.
Yes, the local media really emphasize the coach Brian Orser with Yuna Kim. A Talented athlete with talented coach is always good. Less chance of that combination goes to wrong direction.
And if she performs well against a Japanese skater, that would surely be a sign that Dokdo…blah blah blah!
You’re not posting the link correctly. The <a> tag pair must include the reference page in the opening tag, like this: <a href=”http://www.example.com”>Link text here</a>.
I can’t say that all Koreans think this way, but newspaper reporters are known to torture any set of facts to fit a nationalism storyline. And ad copy writers aren’t ashamed of ridiculous explanations for product names.
Tis the same the world over. Sports competition involving England vs Germany are viewed by the british media as a replay of WW2, just as when it’s Scotland vs England we are reminded of the Battle of Bannockburn (1314). Nonsense.
#6,
See #11. And there’s nothing better in Canada, at least per the papers, than beating the U. S.
#9 Tag Master Carr,
Thank you – I’ll try it.
“I agree that Yu-na’s greatest assest is her Canadian coach.”
Ummm…. I’d say Yuna’s greatest asset is her natural talent. A coach without a natural talent to mentor doesn’t have anything.
Don’t fret, WangKon. Canadians like to take credit for the achievements of anyone remotely connected with Canada, including American inventors Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell.
Yuna and Brian
#14,
You’re forgetting canola oil and Alex Trebeck
Wow… this stark Canadian nationalism on display is… dare I say?… Sparkling!
Sonagi – I always thought Bell was Scottish.
I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize for Celine Dion and every Bryan Adams ballad or duet.
Really, I am sorry.
That bit of humility now out in the open, I’d like to remind y’all Americans how myopic and silly your sports announcers sound when they end every baseball and gridiron football championship game by screaming into their mics “The WORLD CHAMPION Houston White Socks!!!”, or whatever.
Bell was born a Scot but died an American on Canadian soil, so we get to claim him.
Houston White Socks? Good grief. I can tell you’re not a baseball fan. Do you even know the name of your country’s only Major League team?
I dunno about baseball, but American Football? Come on. The game is almost exclusively played professionally in United States.
Like Wangkon, I fear the Kim Yuna factories springing up across South Korea… usually, when someone like her “inspires” a generation, it’s a good thing… I guess it’s all in the context…
Sonagi…that kind of reminds me of the Greek who asked me what the Scottish had ever done. I reminded him of the telephone, TV, golf, tarmac, yellow waterproof jackets etc. His reply was, yes, but ‘telephone’ is a Greek word.
*sigh*
)that your announcers sound silly saying “world champions”.
bum, it is BECAUSE those games are played pretty much only in the States (and that the few other countries who do play them don’t even have teams playing in your national leagues – except for the Toronto Blue Jays
Is her name 유나 or 연아? What’s with the quirky Romanization?
# 22,
Bum, it’s already happening… Mothers all across the republic are asking their daughters, “Why can’t you be more like Yu Na?”
I think all of us Korean kids have had our parents say at least once,”Why can’t you be more like [Fill in Blank].”
It sends shivers down my spine.
@ Linkd
Exactly, so technically, whichever team wins the Super Bowl in the NFL is the best professional American Football team in the world. Hence the “World Champions”
@ Dogbertt
I thought it was 연아. Maybe she just went with Yuna for convenience?
@ Wangkon
Comparing your kids to someone else, I’ve been told, was one of the easiest way of fucking up your child’s psyche. It’s like a sibling inferiority complex, but on a national scale.
So which is a better choice to steer your girl towards — figure skating or golfing?
Is sports nationalism that bad? It would be boring to watch most national sports matches without the nationalism flavor.
#26
”Why can’t you be more like [엄친아, 엄친녀].” – old time tactics.
For all of you Kim Yuna fans out there, hanging on her every triple salchow, here are The World Championshp’s scheduled dates:
In 2009, the championships will take place in Los Angeles, California, USA from March 23 to 29. In 2010, they will be held in Turin, Italy from March 22 to 28. In 2011, they will be held in Nagano, Japan from March 21 to 27. (source – Wikipedia).
I’ve never been lucky enough to attend a competition of any type, much less the World’s (only exhibitions), but she’s well worth watching. No Tonya Harding, her.
Yes, she’ll be exampled to death, but what are ya gonna do? I’m hopeful she’ll replace KJI in the consciousness, however briefly, of most folks who know only one Korean.
# 28,
I’d say it depends on height. 5-5 or below, figure skating. Above that height? Golf.
Can you imagine Michelle Wie doing a triple lutz?
Bum,
I don’t know what Koreans are more impressed by… her skating or the fact she can do interviews in English…
#25 and #27,
A search found this:
김연아
I don’t have a character dictionary now, but I’m curious about the second part of her given name – it’s not the most used of syllables that have Chinese characters which are used in names ( the usage of which I thought was {almost} de rigeur, but the times they are achangin’.)
A quick search in my one K/E dictionary of 아 found (1) one C. character that’s used in a word for flattery/toadyism {the same character is also used in the name of two of the eight burning hells in Buddhism and the first character for ‘opium’), (2) another character that relates to children
#25
it’s yuna as in yuh.
sometimes yu is pronounced yoo and sometimes it’s pronounced yuh i.e. YUM – not pronounced YOOM (unless you’re from a north england) so it’s just using the freedom in english pronunciation to suit one’s needs.
a lot of girls in korean are called Yuna i.e. You-NA for example,
having said that, i am really really unhappy with the koreans stupid new romanization (since the World Cup). Anybody else interested in doing something constructive about it to change it back to what it was when it most closely resembled the sound? i.e. Pusan, Kangnam, Kangwondo Koguryo? I hate the way the koreans butchered their own language to sound so weird and bad in romanization based on their ignorance and need to simplify the letters to a one-to-one mapping.
a north england -> a north english town
@32
I’m pretty sure it’s the skating!
But she’s not only talented but pretty and mild-mannered too. The complete package. It’s enought to make anyone go misty-eyed.
@17
Yes, nationalism looks the same whether it’s Canada, Korea, or anyone else doing it. And us English get to claim Alexander Graham Bell too because he was British! (conveniently ignoring the fact that he was Scottish, moved to Canada, and became American).
#36, yes and the Scots get to claim JK Rowling because she lived in Edinburgh. By that standard, if I do something spectacular whilst in Korea, will I be claimed as a Korean?
# 28,
I have an even better answer… if she’s fat and, uh… not so pretty… golf.
http://www.seoulsisters.com/players/ckim/ckimmain.htm
If she has a ballerina’s body AND athletic AND coordinated… figure skating.
The motivation for finding a non-Korean coach for your young daughter involved in athletics is not very difficult to discern given the…how shall we say…well-known Korean coaching “techniques.”
Buggery and beatings are a steep price to pay.
True IHBB… but it appears to work for archery… but for something that requires artistic expression? Something obviously more sophisticated is required.
It sure works for the male coaches. Free rape with no consequences!
Not so sure about the teenage girls though.
Physical assault and rape are generally known to be the lowest rung on the sophistication ladder of coaching techniques, so there’s really nowhere to go but up.
Her name was romanized incorrectly when she was filing her passport at the airport. The guy wrote her name down as Yu-Na. At every competition her name was written as it was on her passport.
When fans ask for her autograth, she signs her name as YunA to emphasize that the second syllable starts with A and not N.
#14,
Thomas Edison’s didn’t invent the light bulb. He was simply the first one to successfully commercialize it.
Humphrey Davy first came up with the idea of an incandescent light in 1802.
Edison based some of his research on a patent that he bought from Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans (Canadian). They sold their design to Edison after they had failed to commercialize it.
As for the Graham Bell’s nationality and the invention of the phone…
He was born a Brit and was still a Brit when he died. Oh, but if you want to claim him, go ahead. I’m not too fond of the fact that he was associated with the American eugenics movement.
In any case, the phone appears to have been American…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisha_Gray_and_Alexander_Bell_Controversy
#39,
“Exchanging information on athletes”…How can that not sound really creepy?
#13,
Not that I disagree with you, but watch some videos of her coach’s old routines. It’s obvious he’s had considerable influence on her as a skater.
40+ comments on figure skating?! Good grief.
That most of them are actually about Canuckistan…typical.
Are you canuckis this needy for attention when you talk amongst yourselves?
Sadly, yes.
“Are you canuckis this needy for attention when you talk amongst yourselves?”
No, we’re just passionate about sports that involve ice.
With an estimated $8-10 million in endorsements, me thinks we should expect an LPGA-like assembly-line factory of Korean female skaters as soon as parents start to smell the money.
Golf and ice skating will be the new piano/violin lessons.
#46,
Not usually – just when we have to respond to dweeby comments such as yours. And ‘Canucki’ should be capitalized. Thank you and go watch some ice dancing – it will cure what obviously ails you.
#23 Sonagi…that kind of reminds me of the Greek who asked me what the Scottish had ever done. I reminded him of the telephone, TV, golf, tarmac, yellow waterproof jackets etc.
Scotty, have you never heard of James Clerk Maxwell? A giant of physics, on the order of Newton, the architect of the modern understanding of electromagnetic theory, famous for what is now known as the Maxwell Equations? Your ignorance of James Clerk Maxwell is a disgrace to your fellow countrymen. If being Scottish was a religion and I was the Pope, I would have to excommunicate you.
I mean, c’mon. The telephone? TV? (I highly doubt a Scotsman was single-handedly responsible for the invention of the TV. No one really knows who invented the TV). None of that would even be possible without the Maxwell Equations.
My preference is that she wouldn’t wear so much eye makeup like she did recently. But if her holiness prefers it that way, I won’t complain.
#46,
Who won the men’s title?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Chan
“Tis the same the world over. Sports competition involving England vs Germany are viewed by the british media as a replay of WW2, just as when it’s Scotland vs England we are reminded of the Battle of Bannockburn”
I don’t know about England, but in comparison to the US, this over-the-top Korean nationalistic idol worship is simply unparalleled.
# 52,
Asian women in North America tend to wear a lot of eye makeup. They are surrounded everyday by women who have bigger eyes and they compensate.
Mizar’s worship of pointless logical rigidity is simply unparalleled.
히 히 히
“I don’t know about England, but in comparison to the US, this over-the-top Korean nationalistic idol worship is simply unparalleled.”
Well England had Nelson, Darwin, Newton and all those other guys buried in Westminster Abby to be proud about so the English are kinda belly full in terms of internationally recognized heroes. Korea not so much. It’s good to see the hunger there though. There are worse things to be than passionate about one’s country. Apathy and indifference are most certainly worse.
Hey, what about Marconi the investor of the freak’in radio?
Is he Italian, English or American?
Well, he supported Mussolini so I guess the Italians can have him…
# 53,
At least he’s really Canadian.
Tom Edison was the Bill Gates of his time regarding electrical devices. He was good at stealing other people’s ideas and marketing them. He was more of a salesman not an engineer. He lacked formal training in mathematics which severely limited his understanding of electrical theory. In those day, AC versus DC as a means of power transmission was the Beta vs VHS debate of that fledgling industry and he wrong-headedly backed DC. Nikola Tesla was the true genius behind much of what Edison is now credited for but Tesla was also a highly eccentric personality, who fit nicely the stereotype of the mad scientist.
Hey, what about Marconi the investor of the freak’in radio?
Investor?
BTW, this hot babe invented full spectrum frequency-hopping radio communication during World War 2 in between movie careers.
http://www.worth1000.com/entries/48500/48916QvXU_w.jpg
Speaking of 4CC,
Link text here
NK – Ah yes, Maxwell, the man who’s photo adorned Einstein’s wall? Just cos I didn’t mention him, doesn’t mean I hadn’t heard of him. What do you want me to do, list famous Scots? I’d be here all day….
I’ll give you John Logie Baird, the Scot who didn’t ‘invent’ TV, but went a long way to getting it right, though you obviously got my implication that he actually invented it. That was a myth we were fed as schoolkids back in the Land of Rising Porridge.
I’m not sure why we have such high numbers of inventors, pioneering minds etc for such a small country. We do have a slightly different education system than the rest of the UK, and the majority of ancient UK universities are Scottish. hmmmm….
‘don’t know about England, but in comparison to the US, this over-the-top Korean nationalistic idol worship is simply unparalleled.’
As a kid we were mostly exposed to US athletes in the form of tennis players (McEnroe,Lloyd etc), but judging by the hype, I was under the impression that they were demi-gods in the US. Not the case?
“Canadians like to take credit for the achievements of anyone remotely connected with Canada, including American inventors Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell.”
Not exactly. Bell, I’ve heard claimed as a Canadian. (I’ve heard something similar from British people.) It’s pretty clear that even though he did a lot of research and actually died in Canada, he was a proud American citizen. However, I’ve never heard a single Canadian claim Edison as a Canadian, even though it would make for a great anecdote regarding silly Canadian nationalism.
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